Metallic stair



Sept. 18, 1928.

E. HEDEEN METALLIC snm Filed NOV. 10, 1927 ......-..-"'....uu. n

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

Unir-Eo sm'rss PATENT orifice.

ELMER HEBBEN, OF MANSFIELD, omo, AssLGNOR To THE HUGHES-@Elven com- PAMI, Op MANsFIEL'D, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

METALLIC STAIR.

Application filed November 1Q, 1927. ASerial No. 232,414.

This invention relates to inet-al stairs, and among Ollhe'r object-s', aims to provide a 'readily niafnnfa'cured and assembly stair VconstrueQ tion which isldistingnished by its economy.

l In the accompanying'drawings wherein is shown 21 D le. elfljed form ofthe invent-ion: Fig. 'lis avertial'seetional elevation or a portidn of stairway embodying the inven- .t-ieu;

vllig. 2is a'sect-ion on'iine 2-2 Of Fig. 1;

fig. 3 i, sa detail ,section to iLlnstrate the way the of the ystairs are assembled.; 1.111,61

4 is a ,fraginentaay view `1n perspective parts otl the stairs a'rie'held 'together when assen'ibled.

i In aceordanee with the invention, a. pluralityA of i like `metallic nienibers, pref e rabl v ,foriilreddof sheet inetah are assembled and 'scoured `'to a p 'r of metal strangers" which provide the primary support for the steps. lach'ixiietallie step member consists of a tread portion and@ riser portion, ea-eh of said portions'interlocl: ,willr the riser and tread portions, r vectivelfy,oi the next lower and' higher stepf niernbei's. The interloekrn is secured bythe peculiar shape of the parts, Y:ind the way they are assembled, and by a plurality of tongs integrally lijormed on each `ij'isiij )orti/on and )no vichng abuiments tor the at. acenttiead portion, when the parts are. assembled. lThe rlesirlltant construction prevents'relative viiio'veii'ient olf the sti-ps. wil h a minimum number of bolts or other iiastenine4 elements, and without. the necessity el :inf: additional labor in nniiiulaeture of thesteps, such as welding a locking` member in position.

Referringmore particularl \vv to the drawA in s there is shown a portion ot a stair\\' .i v including stringers 5 each having a lower inwardl)Y projecting t'iange (i to which the step members` to be described, are` secured as by screws 7/ (Fig: l), preventingl slight nievements longitudinally or transversely of the stringers. i T he stringers are drawn together b v rods 8 having nuts 9: when the nuts are tightened, the stringers clamp the step meinbers. preventing playv in the joints between them. Preferably each ol the rods 8 is so positioned as to support the tread of one of the step members. The parts so far described form no part of the present invention.

Each of the step members comprises a tread Each riser is bentprovide a substantially horizontal shoulder 'or ledge 13,o n which the outer portion o t the adJaeent treajd -mayl rest,

as shown, and above the ledge or shoulder 13 i there. is ai'i ollset portion 14 parallel to the ris(l 11 and substantially v e'rtieal, the flange 12- being adapted to ht against the O lfset p0rti'ofn 14 ot' the adjacent step member, kas shown.

lLt its upper en d, thel oftfsetportion 14 is providedii'ith a rightangtil'ar'tlange1 5, as best. shoi'i'n in Fig. 1. The flange 1 5 assists in holding the tread 1 which may be of any material) in position. For he'si/ln'e' purpose, each riser has an outwardly i en'divngbend or bead l? which is iboiiton la level with' the top of the t-read`,as`sl 1o`wni` l 1i i iitf.\b,le intervals, the flange is provided with :i. sries of'downwa'r'dlt1v projecting tangs 'lwliich arel formed by`ict'1 t)tin'g and striking down the metal of t-heilange. "As shown inFigl each tang 18 is nearly vertical but at itiiower end `is's'aeedslightly farther 4f ioin't-he opstanding portion 111 than'at its upper :end so as to provide a narrow V-'shapefl re- 'cess 'for the rcceptionof the upper end of the tr'ezv d flange 1Q; The tangs 18er-e shorter than the 'width oti'the (lange 15 ,so as not to split the metal of sziifl'flange'whieh would cause some portionsI et the flange to protrude iipnxarilliv at the edge o l the tread, which would be objectionable,

As shown in Fig. 3, when the step members are to be assembled, the tread or one member is: nelined at an aeute angle to the shoulder 13 of the other step member and the upper edge ot 'ihe llange 12 inserted between the tanga i8 a d the otllsety portion 111. Then the tread is lowered and so moved as to briner the flange i2 adjacent to the portion l, whereupon the upper e. geot' the flange 12 will be inserted into and tit snugly within the V- shaped spaces provided neto-'een the tang-s 18 and the portion 14. As the drawings clearly indicate, the parts soy assembled cannot be moved in any manner. For securing each tread member, it is only necessary to tighten two of the screws 7 and one of the. nut-s 9. The. stringers will tightly compress the step members at the joints thereof and any strain next lower step mem-ber, as clearly shown.

lill) put upon the steps themselves would be transmitted directly to the stringers which are of ample strength to support whatever load may be placed upon them, without sagging or buckling.

The treads 16 may be positioned either before or after erection of the steps, according' to what material they are made of, and as they are clamped between the stringers they have a definite tendency to strengthen the tread portions 10 and also strengthen the joints between adjacent step lnembers. lf, for any reason, the step members need to be disassembled, this may be done by removing the rods 8 and the screws 7 and by lifting the treads one at a time, in the manner indicated in Fig. 3, to bring the flanges 12 out from under the tangs 18.

It will be appreciated that the very simplicity of the invention is its chief virtue. The steps of the described construction are not only very easy to manufacture and assemble, but are quite economical because the forma` tion of the tangs involves only a very simple operation which may be performed at the time the sheet metal members are made.

Obvious the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described.

lVhat I claim is :-q

1. In a stair construction, in combnation, a plurality of assembled and interlocking metal members each consisting of a tread portion and a riser portion; each tread portion having an upstanding flange; each riser portion having a shoulder for the support of the adjacent tread portion, an upright offset portion against which the aforesaid flange may be abutted, and a flange projecting over the upper edge of the upstanding flange of the adjacent tread portion; the flange last named having projecting tangs struck out from the metal thereof and extending downwardly and spaced sufficiently far from the upright offsetportion to receive the upstanding flange of the tread portion; the tangs preventing outward movement of each riser and inward movement of each tread; the parts being so constructed and arranged that assembly is effected by an arcuate movement of each tread to bring the upper edge of its upstanding flange between the ta ngs and the offset portion aforesaid.

2. In a stair construction, in combination, a plurality of assembled and interlocking metal members each consisting of a tread portion and a riser portion; each tread portion having an upstanding flange; each riser portion having an upright offset portion against which the aforesaid flange may be abutted, and a flange projecting overthe upper edge of the upstanding flange of the adjacent tread portion; the flange last named having projecting tangs struck out from the metal thereof and extending downwardly and spaced sufficiently far from the upright offset portion to receive the upstanding flange of the tread portion; the tangs preventing outward movement of each riser and inward movement of each tread.

A metallic unit for the formation of stairs, comprising, in combination, a strip ci' sheet metal bent substantially medially to provide a tread or tread-supporting portion, which is horizontal, and a riser, Which is substantially vertical; a flange extending along the margin of the tread portion; the upper end of the riser portion being shaped partly to enclose the flange` of a similar unit when the units are assembled; and tangs struck out from the upper end of said riser portion and so .filiaped and arranged as to prevent lateral movement of the units when assembled.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

ELMER HEDEEN. 

